Proclamation by the Queen in Council, to the Princes, Chiefs, and People of India (printed sheet, Allahabad, 1 November 1858)
Three pages of the printed Proclamation announcing direct Crown rule in India, with an amnesty for most of those who had rebelled in 1857. It promises 'the equal and impartial protection of the Law' to all faiths in general terms (the glittering generality), and it attributes the rebellion to 'ambitious men, who have deceived their countrymen by false reports', a bounded few to whom blame is assigned while the mass is offered pardon.
- Date
- November 1, 1858
- Period
- Pre-1914
- Made by
- Government of India (Governor-General Viscount Canning), proclaiming the Crown's takeover from the East India Company in Queen Victoria's name
- Region
- South Asia
- Country
- British India
- Medium
- Document
- Issuer type
- State
- Regime
- British Raj
- Leader
- Charles Canning
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Reassure
- Themes
- Empire and colonialism, Religion, War and the military
- Event
- Indian Rebellion of 1857
- Techniques
- Glittering generalitiesScapegoating
- Source
- Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
- Source
- Wikimedia Commons (from the Moving Here Migration Histories website, archived), retrieved September 29, 2026
- Rights
- Public domain (British government proclamation of 1858, published before 1931)
Proclamation by the Queen in Council, Allahabad, 1 November 1858; via Moving Here and Wikimedia Commons
Text on the object
[ink annotation, top left and right margin, partly legible] [illegible] Nov. 1. 1858 ... Calcutta [page 1] ALLAHABAD, MONDAY, 1st NOVEMBER 1858. The Right Honorable the Governor General has received the Commands of Her Majesty The Queen to make known the following gracious Proclamation of Her Majesty to the Princes, the Chiefs and the People of India. Proclamation by the Queen in Council, TO THE PRINCES, CHIEFS, AND PEOPLE OF INDIA. Victoria, By the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and of the Colonies and Dependencies thereof in Europe, Asia, Africa, America, and Australasia, Queen, Defender of the Faith. [pages 1-3: the body of the Proclamation follows in small type; only the passages discussed in the caption are given below] [page 2] ... but that all alike shall enjoy the equal and impartial protection of the Law ... [page 2] We deeply lament the evils and misery which have been brought upon India by the acts of ambitious Men, who have deceived their Countrymen by false reports, and led them into open Rebellion. ... [page 3] To all others in arms against the Government, We hereby promise unconditional Pardon, Amnesty, and Oblivion of all Offences against Ourselves, Our Crown and Dignity, on their return to their homes and peaceful pursuits.
The cover matter is read from the image. The three body passages are located on the image and checked against the Wikisource transcription of the Proclamation (en.wikisource.org, 'Proclamation by the Queen in Council, to the princes, chiefs, and people of India'); capitalisation of nouns and 'We/Our' follows the printed sheet only approximately at this resolution. The rest of the body text is not transcribed here.
